Listening When I Talk
by Kolourz
Summary: After the defeat of the Kishin, Chrona is re-injected with Ragnarok's blood. And after the good doctor Stein suggests a way to separate their souls, both jump at the chance to finally be apart. Instead it only pulls them together. ChroRag, human Ragnarok.
1. Chapter 1

Stray beams of sunlight shone on the cold, stone floor of Chrona's cell-like room hidden beneath the DWMA. It grasped at one of it's pillows from it's bed, hugging it to it's chest as a small sigh passed it's lips, indigo eyes scanning the room lazily. It was the weekend, and it had been about one week since it had watched the ultimate defeat of Asura. Since then, the DWMA had returned to Nevada and resumed operations, and everyone's lives had gotten back on track. Even Chrona's life had gotten better, with it's mother finally dead.

Stretching out it's thin legs, the genderless quickly slipped off of it's bed and stood up. It had an appointment with Professor Stein, which it was both rather anxious for and very happy about. After a very quiet week, it would be getting Ragnarok injected back inside of it.

After the fight with Medusa, Chrona had been rushed back to the DWMA and treated, gaining a scar on it's stomach and an almost-everlasting lightheadedness. Ragnarok had come completely out of it after it's 'death', and it was a very good thing that Stein had collected any spilled blood to be transferred into Chrona at a later date. Without a partner - demon or not - it would not be allowed to go to the academy.

Grabbing at the handle to the heavy door, Chrona swung the door open as it timidly walked out into the corridor and up to the small medical ward. It could almost feel that this day was going to feel a little bit long.

--

"Alright... have you been tired at all, lately?"

"Only a little."

"Lightheaded, feel like you might pass out?"

"Yes, sir."

"Have you been nauseous?"

"Not really..."

"Do your stitches hurt?"

"A little bit."

Stein quickly scanned Chrona over as it sat on a recovery bed, shyly holding it's right arm with it's left. "Well, that all seems pretty normal for someone in your situation," he replied lazily, pushing his glasses up on his nose. He stood up and turned away from it, "You vitals from when you were passed out were also stable. I'd say that you've recovered very nicely."

"Th-that's good," Chrona said, nodding. It glanced over at a tall cabinet close to the bed full of stray vials of liquid - including one large container of a black ooze. "Um, would putting him back in take a long time...? It looks like he took up a lot of my blood."

"Most likely, we'd have to put the blood back in slowly so that your body isn't harmed," Stein explained. He looked over his shoulder, "Are you sure that you want Ragnarok back, Chrona? You'd be able to lead a normal life without him, and I am sure there are others you can resonate with."

Shivering, Chrona kept it's eyes set on the cabinet, "I-I'm positive, professor. I don't think I could deal with a different partner..." It lightly bit it's lower lip, "I've known him for long enough, I'd be a little scared with anyone else. It's a really weird kind of bond... isn't it?"

Opening the cabinet door and lifting the heavy jar of black blood out, Stein sighed out a reply, "Yes, I suppose so, but it really depends how you look at it." Setting it down next to Chrona's bedside, he pulled a small needle out of his pocket, "Now, roll up your sleeve, okay? I'll connect this needle with a fluid tube to our jar of liquid-Ragnarok, and he should be completely back inside of you within an hour or so."

"Alright, sir," Chrona said, nervously rolling up it's right sleeve and lying down on the bed. It almost didn't feel the small prick in it's skin - it's mind was elsewhere.

_Finally... Don't worry Raggy. I'll see you again soon._

_I missed you so much._


	2. Chapter 2

Later that day.

Back in it's small room, Chrona was once more curled up on it's bed. A thin, delicate black line trailed from it's upper back to one of it's pillows, where the miniature, 'chibi' Ragnarok was curled in a ball, small white balls with black lines (which he called hands) covering his head as if here were suffering from a massive hangover.

"Gupi-pi-pi," he sighed, "my head is _killing_ me! Chrona, couldn't you have waited a day or two before wanting me to crawl up on your head like a pirate's parrot?!" He made a soft, cough-like noise, small black X's moving across two gigantic white 'eyes' to glare at his meister. "You know I ain't feeling good."

"And you know how lonely I can get!" Chrona replied, attemping to pout. "Listen, the professor told me that the longer you're out, the more quickly you can recover. So you just rest, okay?" It propped it's elbows on it's knees and cradled it's head in it's hands, "I wish I could go over to Maka's apartment or something..."

Ragnarok growled slightly, "Good thing you can't! Or else you'd end up dragging me on the ground, and you'd lose your oh-so-lovable me." He retracted slightly, the black line connecting the pair growing a tad thicker, "Hey, y'know what I just realized? I never got a greeting when I came back out. No 'hello', no 'hi', not even an 'I missed you'! C'mon, why don't you be a little sociable, eh?"

Shuddering, Chrona looked to it's side, "B-but, I didn't know what to say, so I just skipped it... The only way I've ever gotten a 'I'm happy you're back' message was in a hug from Maka, and I know that you hate hugs."

"Well, if it's the only way I'd get any attention, then crawl out of your little shell and hug me!" Ragnarok demanded, pounding on Chrona's back with one of his fists. "Just don't cling too much and don't squeeze too hard. You better be happy I'm letting you do this sorta crap." He scoffed, "I hate cuddley, fluffy moments."

"I-I know you do," Chrona mumbled out. Cautiously, it reached behind it's back and picked up the small demon, eyeing him with a worried frown on it's face before pulling him into a soft hug. " I won't keep you for long. Don't worry, Ragnarok."

"Better not," Ragnarok growled. "Hey, didn't that smartass professor of yours wanna see me or anything? You know, poke me to see if I'm completely fine?" He began to wiggle out of the genderless' arms, "Okay, no more snuggie-time."

Chrona's grip on him loosened, "B-but.. okay. You can go now." It's arms drooping to it's sides, Chrona watched Ragnarok climb to the top of it's head, grabbing a hold of it's uneven pink hair to stable himself, "U-um, I'm sure that he'd love to, but didn't you say that you didn't want me to go anywhere because then I'd be dragging you on the ground?"

Ragnarok smacked Chrona's head, "Hey, do I look like a weakling now? Go on ahead and take your cozy little walks if you want. Only nice thing about chilling on your head is that I enjoy the view." He chuckled to himself, "And now I wonder why you even missed me in the first place, gupi!"

"You're company, that's why. Company in the form of a little X-face," Chrona mused, looking up at him, a thin smile on it's lips. "If you insist, we'll go back up to Stein now, okay? Since you want to so badly..."

"Little X-face? _Seriously?_" Ragnarok asked it, hitting it's head again, "Oi, shut up with the cute nicknames and get a move-on! Talking to that professor of yours will probably be less aggrivating than talking to you!"

"O-okay, Raggy, I got it --"

"I said, no more cute nicknames!"

"Okay..."


	3. Chapter 3

"And _don't_ touch me, either!"

Ragnarok angrily batted his hands in the general direction of Professor Stein, who was turned away from him and at the other side of the medical ward, skimming through a file cabinet for the demon's file (amazingly, he had one - even though Stein barely knew why himself). "Now now, calm down. You have no reason to be angry at me, I haven't even done anything to you yet," the doctor said, smirking.

Crossing his small arms in a pout, Ragnarok set back down onto Chrona's head, "Bullshit. I'm tired and achey. You're _going_ to do something to me, I just know it, you're a really touchy doctor is the _worst_ ways..." He began to look around the room, grabbing a small hold of Chrona's hair to gain it's attention, "Oi, isn't he touchy? You keep saying he is."

"N-no, I never said that," Chrona replied, shaking it's head gently so as to not fling it's partner off, "I say that he pokes me a lot to make sure I'm okay, but all doctors do that. You just took it out of context!" It looked up at him briefly before looking back to Stein, "Although, I do wonder what he's gonna do..."

"Well, I'm not really going to _do_ anything to you," Stein mused, turning to the pair, "although I am going to explain a few things." Sitting down in his stitched-over chair (backwards, of course), he casually rested his elbows on the back of the chair, tilting his glasses up on his nose. "And by the way, Ragnarok, in case you're wonder why I know so much about you now, we'll say that I was able to experiment on you enough while you were... liquidated."

Slamming his fist down on Chrona's head, evicting a small yelp from the genderless, Ragnarok began to try and struggle away from Chrona, although his efforts were fruitless at best. "You filty _swine_! If I could get over there, I'd stab those glasses of yours into your _eyes_!" he threatened, shaking his nubby hands.

The professor chuckled, "You're funny, Ragnarok. Very funny." He lazily spun around once in his chair, setting his chin between his arms on the back of the chair. "Anyways," he began, his smile fading, "Chrona, I know that although you're attached to Ragnarok both physically and emotionally, you must at least become a little irked at all his bullying and the fact that he is always with you, correct?"

"Y-yes," Chrona replied, unsure. It crossed it's slim legs as it shifted in it's spot on the infirmary bed, "I-I guess you could say that, sir."

"On the other hand, Ragnarok," Stein continued, sighing heavily,"I would imagine that you get pretty sick of having no choice but to be with Chrona all the time, right? I mean, if I'm correct, the only reason you bully it is because you're connected to it, thus having no other form of entertainment."

"Eh, I guess you're right there. I guess," Ragnarok responded, bored. He coiled himself up into a comfortable position on top of his meister's head, "And, your point in stating out the obvious is...?"

Stein reached into his coat pocket and lazily pulled out a cigarette, "Oh, just making sure that you both want to be with each other, but not connected. That's all." He drew a lighter out of his pocket to light his cigarette, "While you were liquefied, I was able to run a few tests on you. If I'm right, I think that by doing so I may have figured out a way to get you two more separated." He smiled once more, "All weapons have a human form. Ragnarok, do you ever remember being a human?"

Ragnarok shrugged, "You mean human-_like_, doc. And you've seen that one, back when I actually looked a little badass." He wriggled slightly, moving to curl around Chrona's shoulders, "I haven't been human since I was, like, two. That's when Medusa snatched me up and I became the lovable little guy you see before ya. But even _then_ I was a demon."

Chrona piped in, looking at the demon on it's shoulder, "Ragnarok, you were a person once? I could never even imagine you as a person." A light smile formed on it's face, "I bet you were some sort of bratty little kid, if you were taken when you were two or so. I can only imagine it..."

"I imagine he was, Chrona," Stein mused, laughing to himself, "But it's a good thing that I got a yes out of you. You see, Ragnarok, if you were once human, that you mean that you still have the ability to be. If you were two when taken, you'd be roughtly eighteen or so by now since you've aged inside Chrona, and I can only imagine that you would just love to have a pair of your own legs for once."

"Seriously, old man?" Ragnarok asked. "Trust me, we've both tried to get separated, and guess what? It don't work." He pouted again, "So don't remind me of what I wanna be when I can't be, you ass."

"Now now, you didn't really let me finish," Stein ushered, taking a puff off of his cigarette. "If Chrona would let me - and since it might hurt quite a bit, I'm doubtful that it would - I could try to force you out with my wavelength. I'd have to make it as strong as I could, but if you'd be willing to make a go for it, I could even try right now."

Shivering, Chrona nudged at Ragnarok, "I-I know how much you'd like out, Ragnarok. Do you want to try...?" It looked down at the floor for a moment, biting it's lip and sighing, "I've been through a lot of painful things lately. I'm learning how to deal with them. I can deal with this, I hope."

Ruffling up it's hair, Ragnarok nodded, "Of course I want to! It's a good thing you're not wimpin' out on me, you know." He snickered and looked back at the professor, "Gupi-pi-pi! Fire away, good sir! Have fun, and don't screw us over!"

Quickly setting out his cigarette in an ashtray, Stein stood up from his chair, pushing it under a nearby desk. He pushed his glasses up once more, "If you both insist. Now please, prepare yourselves." Brushing his hands off on his coat, he closed his eyes briefly to gather his concentration before slamming the palms of his hands into the middle of Chrona's chest.

An amazingly strong electric-like jolt rushed through the genderless' body, causing it to lean it's head back and grit it's teeth in pain, shutting it's eyes firmly. A horribly painful ripping sensation emitted from it's back - clenching it's fists, it managed to crack one eye open to see behind it, only to witness a geyser of black blood spitting wildly from between it's shoulderblades.

"Alright, perfect!" Stein said, pulling his hands away. He took in a few ragged breaths, looking up at Chrona, who was now slumping forward, setting one hand onto it's small shoulders. "Chrona, if I'm right, he should be out. Are you okay?"

"Y-y-yes..." Chrona managed to squeak out, it's entire body quivering. It looked over it's shoulder, a worried expression on it's face as it's arms folded around it's stomach, "Ragnarok... Is he alright, sir? Please, please tell me he's alright..."

Walking slowly to the other side of the bed, Stein nodded, "He should be fine. I was able to push his soul out of you with enough of that blood of your's for him to survive." He tilted his head slightly to the side, "Look. He's solidifying. This should be interesting."

Chrona crawled to the other side of the bed to peek over the edge - just below it was what almost looked like a sea of black ooze, bubbling up a little bit like tar. "Solidifying...?" It asked, reaching down to curiously poke at the puddle of black blood, which was actually pretty hard to the touch. "If he's doing that, then why isn't he a person or whatever?"

"Be patient, not all things happen immediately," Stein muttered. He smirked, glancing over at the genderless again, "Chrona, I would like for you to watch him for me. I need to step out of the room for a few minutes, alright?"

"Okay," Chrona whispered, still peering shyly over the edge of the bed. As Stein left, closing the door behind himself, Chrona sighed longingly - it felt as if a heavy weight had been removed from it's shoulders. It felt so much lighter, as if it could just fall asleep right there and actually get the rest it needed every night.

The ooze began to contract and spasm, pulling itself together into a more solid shape at the middle of the floor, catching Chrona's attention back. A slightly human shape came into view, still pulsing madly and startling the pink-haired one right off of the bed.

"W-wahh!" Chrona shrieked, picking itself up. It hurriedly rushed over to the door, poking it's head out, "P-professor! Something's happening to Raggy!" It shuddered slightly, raising it's voice, "Please get back here!" It then ducked it's head back inside, rushing back over to the bedside to watch it's partner like it had been told to do.

Hiding behind the bed was no longer a black form, or any trace of the black blood whatsoever. Instead, lying limply of the floor, unconscious, was a human male - too old to be called a boy, but not old enough to be called a man - with jet black hair falling to about his shoulders and spiking awkwardly over his face, with two long tresses falling in front of his ears.

Quickly, Chrona grabbed a blanket off the bed and flung it over him - to be blunt, he was naked. It looked him over cautiously - he had pale skin, but stark white hands with black lines running to his fingertips on the back, and he had a white X directly over his nose. It sighed ever-so-slightly. This was definitely Ragnarok.

And he was definitely out.


	4. Chapter 4

_Where in god's name am I...?_

He kept his eyes firmly shut, too tired to move, instead trying to take in anything else he could absorb via sound or touch. There was a soft plush beneath him (he seemed to my lying on his back), and a breeze was rolling past him - probably from a window.

_Why is Chrona curling me up on it again... And why did it leave the window open?_

Groaning, he opened his eyes slightly, looking over to his right to notice a tall man in a white labcoat, with gray hair and glasses. He appeared to have something stuck through his head.

"Ragnarok, please, go back to sleep," Stein mused. He pulled a curtain around the bed, causing the area around it to darken, "You need your rest. You're still not strong enough to get up. Chrona is very worried about you, Ragnarok..."

_What is he talking about...? I feel fine... Where is Chrona, anyways...?_

The demon's eyes slowly shut once more as he fell back into a slumber.

--

"Sir, when do you think he'll wake back up? It's almost been three days..."

Stein shrugged, looking over his shoulder at the sleeping figure in the infirmary bed, "I'm not sure, Chrona. He woke up a little bit the other day during classes, but he went out again within a matter of seconds." He sighed, "We'd have to move him into your room once he woke up. You two can't stay in seperate dorms, you're a pair."

Chrona nodded, biting it's lower lip and folding it's small hands together. "I know that," it mused, "I'm just worried about him. How am I supposed to keep going to school here if he's passed out all of the time?" It looked off to the floor, "I know that I say this too much, but I couldn't deal with it..."

"Oh, I bet you can learn to deal with this," Stein ushered, setting one of his hands on the top of Chrona's head. He smiled, chuckling to himself, "Listen, classes are about to start for today, alright? I know you want to keep an eye on him, but I need to leave. You should probably do the same, okay?"

With a solemn nod of agreement, Chrona watched the professor leave the small nurse's office. It stood up from it's small chair and walked over to the bedside, looking down at it's sleeping partner. _Wow, Raggy, you look so... peaceful,_ it thought, shyly touching the top of his head. _You'd hit me if you knew I was doing this, wouldn't you?_

A very soft, tired groan came as a reply, causing the genderless to jump back. "R-Ragnarok?!" it stuttered out, cautiously walking back over to the bedside to shake at him slightly. "Ragnarok, was that you? If you're waking up, at least, I-I'd love for you to wake up..."

After a brief silence, a silvery eye slitted open on the sleeping patient, another groan passing his lips, "Chro... W-when'd you get so... so..." He drifted off, lazily lifting up one of his striped white hands in Chrona's general direction as black, X-shaped pupils in his eyes came into focus, "Far... away...?"

"Ragnarok, I'm not far away," Chrona said, a thin smile on it's lips. "That experiment the professor tried on you worked. He separated your soul from mine. You've got your own body now." It pressed the palm of it's hand against his forehead, underneath his dark black bangs, "I-I think you should try and get up, Ragnarok. You've been out for three days."

"W-wait, what?" he asked, managing to push himself up into a sitting position, batting away Chrona's hand. He looked down at himself, expecting to see his small black body connected to his partner's back, and was instead greeted with a man's chest, with a pale skin tone. He was covered in blankets, and he could tell that underneath them rested a pair of legs. A small smile came to his face, "Great. Well, this is definatley a nice thing to wake up to."

Chrona nodded eagerly, clasping it's hands together. "I know, Raggy, I know. Trust me, I would be happy too." It turned to the bedside table and opened a drawer, lifting out a bundle of gray clothing, and plopped it onto the bed, "Stein left you some of his old clothes for now, too. You're, um, you're kinda naked."

The demon snickered, flicking a bit of his hair behind his shoulders, "Good, I don't wanna be walkin' the halls nude." Taking the shortsleeved shirt and trying to fit it over his large shoulders, Ragnarok sighed to himself, "I'm amazed I haven't run out into the streets screaming about sweet, sweet freedom yet, gupi."

"I kinda am too," Chrona replied, simply going along with what he was saying as it helped him pull the shirt down. It smiled once more, looking up at his face, "I don't want to sound rude, but I really thought you wouldn't be so... w-well, I didn't think you'd... I figured you'd be ugly."

"Oh, was that a compliment I just heard?" Ragnarok taunted, poking at Chrona's forehead and sticking his tongue out. "Baww, you're bein' cute, giving me compliments already." Flustered, Chrona blushed, which caused him to laugh out loud, "You are a goofy little thing, aren't 'cha? You gotta stop bein' so embarrassed. Now turn away, my legs feel like noodles and I gotta put on some pants."

Quickly turning around and covering it's face with it's hands, Chrona blushed even more, it's eyes shut tightly. _H-he's making me more embarrassed than usual_, it thought, it's small shoulders shuddering, _I really thought he wouldn't be so attractive._ It shivered even more, _W-why am I even __**thinking**__ that about Ragnarok?! It feels so... awkward..._

A small tap on it's shoulder snapped it out of it's flustered thinking. "Oi," Ragnarok mused, tugging on the back of it's dress, "you can turn around now and quit yer nervous twitches. I managed to get these things on, even though my legs feel like noodles." He lazily slung his legs over the side of the bed, setting his feet on the ground, "Yeesh. I love how he didn't give me socks. The floor's cold."

"I'm sorry about that," Chrona said, it's eyebrows setting back into their standard, sad position. "Listen, you stay here, alright? I-I should probably fetch Stein to help you out, he's been keeping an eye on you with me the whole time anyways." It quickly maneuvered itself around the bed, "I-I'll, um, I'll be back soon, 'kay?"

"Pssh. Sure, whatever," Ragnarok muttered, a sarcastic smile of his face as he crossed his arms. Watching Chrona scuttle off out of the corner of his eyes, he bit his lower lip, a soft breeze rolling through the open infirmary window once more. _Good god,_ he thought, shutting his eyes firmly, _it's going to be a long, long day, ain't it?_


	5. Chapter 5

"Alright, Ragnarok, you're just to have to trust me on this--"

"Like hell I am - y'know, you totally could've thought of a better way to get me out that wasn't fuckin' _shooting_ me out!"

Stein sighed, rubbing his forehead with the palms of his hands, "Ragnarok, since you stopped being human when you were two, you don't know how to walk. I'm sorry that I have to babystep you down to the basement." He took hold of one of Ragnarok's shoulders, pushing on it slightly, "Come on. Chrona will even help."

Grumbling, Ragnarok reached up and took hold of the arm of Stein's labcoat, looking over to his other side at his partner, who was staring curiously at him. "Fine, fine, whatever. I just got no balance, I could walk fine if I had balance." He managed to pull himself up, his grip on Stein becoming firmer, his knees shaking as he attempted to steady himself, "I'd rather have Chrona help than you, screwhead."

Chrona giggled under it's breath, "I bet you wish we had an elevator in the school right now, huh, Ragnarok?" It held it's right arm with it's left hand, looking up at it's now-standing partner, "Y-you know I could never take you down to my room by myself. Please, just trust Stein..."

"Okay, okay," Ragnarok growled, rolling his eyes, "Come on, old man. Lead the way. Christ, I feel like such a baby."

--

"Chrona, open the door for us."

The small meister heaved open the heavy, basement-dorm door, allowing Professor Stein and the now-weary Ragnarok entrance. Stein heaved the demon over to a small bed in the corner of the room, quickly setting him down and sighing heavily, "Thanks. Really. He seemed to get heavier the farther down we got."

"Well, thank you for bringing him down here," Chrona chirped, following him inside the room. "I'm really sorry for getting you out of class to do this, sir, really." It sat down on it's bed next to it's partner, still looking up at the professor, "You could go now, if you need to."

"I will, I will, Chrona," Stein said, smiling, "and you're welcome. Before I go,I should probably give you, well... Instructions for caring for him, I suppose." He straightened his lab coat, twisting the screw in his head a few notches with his other hand, "If that's the right way to say it."

Chrona tilted it's head to the side curiously, "Instructions...?"

The professor nodded, "Yes. For now, you need to let him rest. That human form of his takes up a lot of energy - as soon as he wakes up, you _must_ feed him for him to be stable. Let him sleep and eat as much as he can, and he should be alright."

Nodding as well, Chrona folded it's hands in it's lap, "I-I can do that, sir. Is there anything else...?"

"Only one more thing, and this is critical," Stein answered. "Please be very careful with your actions around him. He's unstable mentally as well, it's been so long since he has had a human mindset." He chuckled under his breath, "That's all. I know you can't deal with most things, but those are simple enough, right?"

"Y-yes, sir," it replied, "again, thank you so much." Chrona hunched it's shoulders together as it nervously watched Stein waft out of it's cell-like dorm, the heavy door slamming shut behind him. It sighed, closing it's eyes tiredly, _I don't think I'll make it to class today... At least Stein will understand._

Ragnarok lazily rolled over on the bed, grunting out a yawn. "Oi, your bed's comfy, gupi..." he managed to get out, squeezing his eyes shut. "I totally agree with our little mad professor, let me sleep." He grabbed one of the bed pillows and stuffed it under his head, and then, grabbing the other and pulling it towards his chest, he began to doze off.

Chrona smiled softly, looking up at the only window in it's small room. The crazed sun was high in the sky, and it cast a single large beam of light onto the wall. Other than Ragnarok's somewhat-noisy breathing, the room was eerily quiet. Just the way Chrona liked it.

A small knock on the door shattered the quiet and made the meister jump. "Y-yes?" It stuttered out, it's indigo eyes now fixated on the metal door, "P-please, come in!"

The door slowly cracked open, revealing Chrona's only other true friend, Maka Albarn - a petite girl with dark blonde hair always up in pigtails, and shadowy green eyes. She smiled as she poked her head inside, "Hey, Chrona. I was wondering why you weren't in school today; Stein said you were taking care of something important." She laughed a little under her breath, "What is it?"

"O-oh, that, Maka..." Chrona replied, standing up from it's seat, "U-um, Stein performed an experiment on Ragnarok, I gotta watch him is all." It glanced over at it's partner, "S-see? That's why I've been skipping the past few days, to keep an eye on him..."

Maka nodded, "Understood. I remember doing the same for Soul when he was... you know." Tilting her head to the side, she smiled again, "Hey, since it's my free hour right now, do you want to come up and see everyone? Ragnarok seems kinda... out of it, I doubt he'd notice you gone."

Shrugging, Chrona's eyes drifted back to Ragnarok again, "O-okay... I guess you're right. Stein did say that I had to let him sleep and all." It nodded slightly, turning back to Maka, "Alright. Let's go, I suppose."


	6. Chapter 6

A loud school bell jarred the snoozing demon from his sleep.

"W... huh?" Ragnarok asked wearily, rubbing his eyes and yawning. He stretched out his arms and legs, opening his silvery-gray eyes and scanning over the room. A disgruntled frown appeared on his face, followed by a soft growl, "Goddammit, Chrona. Watch me means watch me, not run off..."

He sat up, his backbones popping as he reached up to scratch at his head. His milky-white hands entangled themselves in his messy black hair, "It's be nice if I had a little company, gupi. Stupid little pink thing." He groaned under his breath, "More like _my_ stupid little pink thing..."

Slowly standing himself up from the bed, he began to cautiously make his way toward the door, gripping at the doorknob and opening the door slowly. He poked his head outside, "Oi, Chrona? You anywhere out there? Don't make me go lookin' for ya."

--

"So _that's_ where you've been camping out all day, eh?" Soul asked, crossing his arms while eyeing Chrona with dull red eyes. "I thought it was kinda peaceful for once with your little back-gnome gone. Where is the guy?"

Chrona looked nervously around the upper hallway that it, Soul and Maka were conversing in, "Y-yeah, that's right. He should still be sleeping, but he sleeps so much... I hope he won't notice me gone." It blinked twice, it's face with a blank expression.

Maka rested her hand on Chrona's shoulder reassuringly, "Hey, don't worry about him. When I went down to get you, he looked completely passed out. Won't even notice you're gone." She smiled, "Besides, didn't you mention that he couldn't walk well anyways?"

"Yes, I guess you're right," Chrona said, smiling slightly and nodding. It's smile quickly faded as it looked down to the ground, "I just don't know if i can handle him now. For some reason, he seems... different."

Soul scoffed, "You're probably just thinking that 'cause he looks different. From what you're saying, sounds like the same ol' Ragnarok to me." He chuckled under his breath, closing his eyes, "Bet it's a sight to see though, a big menacing guy tripping over his feet like a baby."

It's smile quickly returning, Chrona blinked, tilting it's head slightly to the side, "I suppose it is funny. All he did was whine about how tired he was, and Stein and I just ended up dragging him halfway." A soft pattering on the tiled floors caught it's attention, making it look over it's shoulders and hunch them up around it's face. "O-oh, no..."

"Hm?" Maka looked at Chrona, "Hey, what's up? You look a little scared." Her eyebrows furrowed into a worried stance, "What's wrong...?"

"Th-that," Chrona said, pointing over it's shoulder. It shut it's eyes firmly, "Please, Maka, Soul, tell me I'm seeing things..."

Trumping down the hallway, an annoyed-yet-awkward gate in his walk, was Ragnarok - still barefoot, still dressed in old, patchy gray pants and a flimsy T-shirt. A determined scowl sat on his face, which made any other person in the hallway quickly move out of his path as he clenched his hands into fists.

He roughly grabbed at one of Chrona's arms, "Hey, you were told not to leave, you little dumbshit." He grit his teeth, "I gotta force myself up all them flights of stairs, and what am I greeted with? You yammerin' on to your little friends about me. Good people don't snitch, ya know!"

Chrona shook it's head from side to side, small tears forming in it's eyes, "H-hey, don't grab that hard! You'll hurt my arm, Raggy!" It quickly, covered it's mouth with it's other hand, embarrassed, "I-I'm sorry about that! But really, I didn't mean to! I just... I'm restless!"

"I can tell that much," Ragnarok growled. He released Chrona's arm, "Yeah, sorry, whatever. Just get a move on, you're mine." He sent a last glare over to Soul and Maka, "And what're you brats lookin' at? Shouldn't you be in class or somethin', gupi?"

"Free period," Maka said bluntly. She glared at him back, standing up on her toes to try and look more intimidating, "I know you bully it and all, but how is Chrona yours? I never knew that assholes could have nice things." She smiled sarcastically, "You may have a new look, but you're still the same old Mini-Ragnarok to me, you know."

Ragnarok bit his lip, "Well, it's mine anyways. It just is. Mine and not yours. And I ain't so mini anymore, huh?" He turned around, dragging Chrona with him, using it as somewhat of a balancing tool, "Now come on, Chrona. Weren't you told to watch me?"

Chrona followed him without much of a struggle, holding it's tongue. _What does he mean by 'his'?_ It blushed, _Maybe it's over-protectiveness... but he'd never care about me, would he?_ It's cheeks reddened even more, _I-is this what 'infatuation' is like...?_

"Hey, what're you blushin' back there about?" Ragnarok asked, turning to look at his meister. He smirked, "Aww, is widdle Chrona getting it's first crush? That's so sickeningly sweet." He laughed, "Makes me wanna puke, even moreso if it's on me."

"W-what?!" Chrona screeched, it's entire face becoming bright red, "N-no, that's not it, Raggy, I swear!" It held one of it's hands up defensively, "I-I don't even know what that feels like, how'd I know in the first place?!"

"Intuition, you goofy little brat," Ragnarok mused, turning back around. "You're human, aren'cha? It's natural for you." He continued to drag Chrona back down to the basement, flicking his head to the side to get hair out of his face, "And I ain't ever gonna reciprocate 'em for you, 'kay?"

Chrona kept quiet, it's face still red. "B-but Ragnarok, if that's what you're saying, then it's natural for you too." It struggled a little, trying to wiggle out of his grasp, "It's just, I get all red-faced when you say what I do is cute, even if it's sarcasm. I don't know how to handle that."

Ragnarok sighed, agitated, "Well, if that shit's natural, I'm not gonna let it happen." He began to chuckle, letting his grip on Chrona's arm release, "And thanks. Now I know something else to bother you with. You're so cute."

Blushing again, Chrona pouted, "S-stop it! That's not funny!" It covered it's face with it's hands, small tears in the corners of it's eyes, "It messes with my feelings and it's mean! I really don't like it!"

"Well, then, I'm doing my job," Ragnarok said, ruffling up Chrona's pink hair roughly. He laughed loudly, patting it's head playfully, "Oi, I'm just playing, gupii! You gotta get yourself a sense of humor - laugh at yourself, why don't you?"

"B-but, if I laugh at myself, I'd just be hurting myself, and..." it looked to the side, it's blush from before fading, "... Nevermind. It's emo stuff, you wouldn't be interested."

The demon shrugged, "Eh, whatever you say, gupi." He sighed once more, his eyes drawing half-shut, _Christ. It'd suck if those dumb little 'You're cute' compliments got rooted in my head as truth._ He looked to his side to catch a small glimpse of his partner, _I mean it does look nice and all, but a teensy bit cute..._

_Good god, Ragnarok. Shut up._


	7. Chapter 7

"Chrona, go down on your own from this point."

The frail meister looked up at it's partner curiously, "Huh? W-why, Ragnarok? Have I been too annoying for you?" It looked down the remainder of the hallway, catching a glimpse of the stairwell leading to the basement at the end, "I thought you needed sleep..."

"Well, I also need to look decent," Ragnarok muttered. He crossed his arms, "I'm gonna see if Patchwork Professor has anything else I can wear, or at least some extra shoes. The floors here are so cold, and this shirt's too thin."

"W-well," Chrona began, nodding it's head slightly, "i-if you say so... But I'll wait for you this time, okay? I won't run off." It kept looking up at him blankly, it's eyes barely even blinking, "I promise."

Ragnarok smiled, patting the top of Chrona's head lightly, "Good. I'll be seeing you again in a bit."

A small smirk on his face, he began to walk casually to the professor's office, occasionally looking to his side to catch glimpses of the other students. Some looked at him with bewilderment - he was taller and older than most everyone there, and much more intimidating - while others didn't even pay notice (at a school like the DWMA, a barefoot demon wouldn't be so surprising).

With a light tap of his fingers Ragnarok knocked on the door, "Oi, doc?" He poked his head inside, "I'm here to steal more clothing offa ya." He walked in, smiling at the doctor, who was grading test papers, "Do you got a sec, gupii?"

"Oh, hello there, Ragnarok," Stein mused, not even looking up rom his paperwork. He made a few small marks with a pen on one of the tests, "I see that you're up. Let me guess, you're cold in those old pajamas I gave you, right?"

"Why, yes indeed, I sure am," Ragnarok replied sarcastically. He crossed his arms, "And my feet feel bare, so do my arms. Got any shoes or... y'know, somethin' like the metal stuff I had on my arms before?" He chuckled, "I was fond of those."

Stein stood up from his seat, "The word you're looking for is bracers." He pushed his glasses up on his nose, "Now, I have nothing with me. However, since you're technically staying in prisoner's quarters, you may want to check the storage closet." He clicked the pen in his hand a few times, "Old clothing left by prisoners. Maybe even bracers like your old ones."

Ragnarok pouted, "But I don't wanna walk all the way back down there. I hate stairs, and..." He paused, sighing under his breath, "Chrona's down there, waitin' for me."

"What's the problem with that?" Stein asked, sitting back down to resume his grading, "It can probably help you carry any clothing you find back to your room." He smiled as he circled a total on the test in front of him, "It's very eager to care for you, you know."

"Too eager, that's the problem," Ragnarok growled. He scowled, "Damn thing's following me everywhere. Worrying itself shitless about me. It needs to focus on itself for once." He scoffed, "I can take care of myself, I'm no baby."

The professor smirked, "Funny. You don't want it to care for you, but you just cared for it by saying you didn't want it to worry over you." He chuckled to himself, "Be careful with how you word things, Ragnarok. Now, have fun clothes-ransacking."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Ragnarok muttered, batting his hand in the air as he left the room.

--

Ragnarok crossed his arms again as he trumped down the hallway, his eyes set in an annoyed glare. "Stupid professor," he muttered through gritted teeth, "I don't give two shits about that... thing."

A hand smacking on his back surprised him, causing him to turn around to face a small boy standing behind him - the one ands only infamous 'ninja' Black*Star. He had a mischievous glint in his eyes and he stared up at Ragnarok, "Hey, listen up. You a held-back kid or somethin'? I never seen you here before." He put his hands on his hips, "And you're catching too much attention whenever you walk around, too."

"So?" Ragnarok said, smiling, "Leave me be, cotton-candy-hair. I have places to go." He bent down to Black*Star's height, "You're, like, a foot and a half shorter than me anyways. You're no threat, hot shot."

"At least I don't have some dumb X on my face," Black*Star retorted, poking the center of Ragnarok's mark. "How'd ya get that? Cut it in yourself like an idiot, or did ya just use a marker so you could get attention?"

Ragnarok shook his head, "Listen, kid, I'm Chrona's partner. Y'know, the little thing that crashes on it's head?" He sighed, "The Demon Sword? Ragnarok? Ringin' a bell for ya in that ego-filled head of your's?"

Black*Star laughed, "Yeah, right! You're just sayin' that to sound cool." He turned away, sneering in a mocking voice, "Ooh, I'm a demonic weapon with marker on my face that looks like a goth reject, leave me be, whine whine whine!"

"Hey, shut your mouth!" Ragnarok growled at him, picking him up by the collor of his shirt and bringing him up to eye level. "Say somethin' else, and I'll be hurling more than insults at ya, you dumbass."

"Like I'm scared of you!" Black*Star laughed, "If you wanna fight, then you get one, demon. You looked stupid as Chrona's hat, and you look even worse now." He struggled slightly, causing Ragnarok to drop him, and snickered, "So, if you really are Ragnarok, why don't you fight me?"

Pausing, Ragnarok crossed his arms, "Fine, fine, brat. Gimme, like, thirty minutes, and I'll find you in the front courtyard thingimajigger." He turned around and began to walk away, smiling to himself, "I gotta get dressed..."

--

Chrona, in the meantime, was nervously twiddling it's thumbs as it sat on it's bed, still messy from when Ragnarok had taken it over. It had done as promised - it had been sitting in that exact spot for almost half an hour when a light tap on the steel door caught it's attention. "Oi," someone called from behind it, "open up. My arms are full."

"Raggy?" Chrona asked. It hurried over to the door and opened it, and was greeted with it's partner carting a large box in his arms. "I stayed like you promised, but..." it stared at him for a moment, "where'd you get that?"

"Storage closet," Ragnarok answered as he set the large box on the floor, knelt down, and began to dig through it. "Apparently, anytime old prisoners left clothing and such they'd save it in case they needed the clothes or fabric. Stein told me, so in other words, I just bagged some free clothes."

Picking up a few pieces, Chrona looked at him, "A bunch of these look like they'd fit you..." It scanned the floor - which was quickly being covered with old, dark odds and ends - and swiped up a large pair of black jeans with gray lines running over it in various places. "Like this one. It'd fit you."

Ragnarok looked up, "Yeah, I guess it would," he mused, "toss it on the bed." He laughed, "That dumbass ninja kid with the blue hair wants a fight outta me real soon. That's the only reason I got this crap now." He continued to dig through the box, "I'd hate to fight in my pajamas..."


	8. Chapter 8

AN: WELL THIS CERTAINLY TOOK IT'S SWEET ASS TIME DIDN'T IT. I've been busy with cons, I got into another fandom or two, and I've been busy laughing at a fanfic where I'm portrayed as a villainess! Ha! But anyways, after much putting off I present... THIS. Also I can't write fights. OTL

* * *

"Where the hell _is_ that guy...?"

"Maybe he was just busy, Black*Star..."

The ninja crossed his arms anxiously, scanning the small courtyard over again and again. "He said to give him thirty minutes..."

His partner, Tsubaki, tried to calm him, "Maybe it's only been twenty minutes, or maybe he had something to do..." She sighed, a slightly worried expression on her face, "Besides, class is going to start up again soon. I don't want you skipping again..."

"But _he's_ skipping!" Black*Star reasoned, turning to her and smiling, "So I feel obligated to! And what'd I be missing anyways? A lecture or something?" He shifted his hands to his hips, now instead tapping his feet on the tiles, "Come on, you stupid X-face, come _on..._"

* * *

Chrona balled it's small hands into fists, "R-Ragnarok, no fighting. You might hurt him..."

"That's the point," the demon mused, slipping on a large pair of boots. He grunted, "Besides, hangin' down here waitin' for you all day will probably be boring." He then slowly stood up, steadying himself on a nearby wall as a light smile graced his face, "Wanna watch me? Have your self a good time, if ya don't worry."

"But I have to worry!" his meister pouted, it's lips quivering, "y-you're still a monster. You might hurt him, or a lot of people, and I don't want you to have a bad reputation..." It shook it's head slightly, flicking some hair out of it's eyes. "You're nicer than you seem."

Ragnarok laughed, "To you. I'm nicer to you." He lazily crossed his arms over his chest, "And that's just because you'd cry if I wasn't." Turning to it, he unfolded his arms and set his hands on his hips, "Now, how do I look? I think I look like I can take someone out in a crappy schoolyard rumble."

His partner shrugged, "I guess that looks like something you'd wear." Chrona looked him over, trying to relax itself - he did look a good deal more intimidating than he did in the scraps he was wearing before. He was now in a sleeveless, V-neck black shirt with a white collar, a gray studded belt that looped around his midsection, and a pair of slim black jeans. A pair of large, metal studded bracers sat around his wrists.

He eyed it, "I guess I'll take that as a 'you look good', I swear, you're so vague." He chuckled to himself again, tangling his fingers up in his own hair, "Now, come along, if ya want. I have places to be, gupii."

* * *

"Oh, look who finally decided to show up!"

At the top of the foyer leading to the courtyard, Black*Star was still waiting, perched on top of the stone guardrailing. "What took you so long, did Chrona use you as a cryin' pillow or something?"

"Shut yer mouth, pipsqueak," Ragnarok growled out. He looked over at Chrona, gesturing to the outer edges of the courtyard, "Oi, why don't you go over to the sidelines and watch or something? Become a part of a growing crowd." With a small nod in assurance, Chrona quickly scuttled off, leaving Ragnarok locked in a staredown with the self-proclaimed 'god'.

"I doubt you can do much without your partner," Black*Star said, a smirk on his face as he hopped off the railing, "So I'll so easy on you and leave this as one on one. Be happy about that, maybe you'll be able to get in, like, a single good punch or something." He looked over his shoulder to his partner, "Sorry, Tsubaki."

Ragnarok smiled as well, "You're just saying that because you don't want any help. Fine by me, I don't really care. Do what you wish. However..." He paused, spreading his legs slightly and arching his back, a demented grin overtaking his expression, "I would be careful what you wish for, kiddo."

Almost as if on command, the demon's back began to bubble up and rip open, revealing a small pair of black vestigial wings that seemed to pulse, stray droplets of black liquid falling from the wing tips as they continued to morph. "If I'm right, I don't think you've ever seen me in battle, have you?" Ragnarok questioned, "I can do some things you only wish you could do."

"So you got some teeny wings and a temper! Not like that's going to be stopping me anytime soon!" Black*Star yelled, pushing himself forward with all of his might and pounding Ragnarok in the gut with his elbow, causing the demon to fly back. Black*Star laughed to himself, "All talk and no fight? Wow, you're boring!"

"Don't get your hopes up!" Ragnarok called as he flew through the air. His small wings flexed and grew briefly, blowing him backwards in a midair somersault that righted him on his feet. Now upright again, Ragnarok jetted himself forward, curling his hand into a fist and pushing the ninja up into the air, then slamming him back down to the stone floor below with a powerful kick. "You're making this too easy, kid!"

Hearing his remark, Black*Star quickly got back up onto his feet, gazing up into the sky where his opponent seemed to float. "I gave you that opening, you bastard! Don't be getting too cocky up there - you may feel high and mighty, but lemme tell ya, you're not!"

Meanwhile, Ragnarok's partner Chrona was silently watching, along with a small smattering of other students. _He can fly without me..._ it thought to itself, sighing, _I hope that's not his only saving grace here.._. A light hand on it's shoulder broke it's train of thought, causing it to stop watching the fight, instead turning it's head to see who it was. "D... Doctor Stein?"

"Are you worrying about him, Chrona?" Stein asked, pushing his glasses further up on his nose with his other hand. He kept a close eye on the demon, who was still taunting Black*Star from the air. "You shouldn't. Seems he likes to think that he'll be fine on his own. I'm personally surprised that he can still use his Black Dragon wings."

"Y-yeah, me too," Chrona replied uncertainly, "but I don't think he should be fighting for very long..." It frowned, "Didn't you say that he'd tire easily? I wouldn't want him passing out in front of everyone."

Stein nodded, "Yes, and I agree. I will stop their little scuffle, but not now." He let go of Chrona's shoulder to turn at the screw in his head, "I want to see what he's capable of on his own. Brute force and flying might simply be his limit."

In the meantime, after throwing more insults and vague threats back and forth, Black*Star jumped up into the air, grabbed onto Ragnarok's foot, and began to throw him down. "I'm getting real tired of you, ya know!" he shouted, flinging him downwards with all of his might, "this time, I won't be giving you any openings!"

Ragnarok hit the ground hard, creating a thick cloud of dust and debris. "Fine by me, brat," he muttered under his breath, taking the opportunity to use the only attack he could if he was blinded. _Beta Screech Alpha_, he said to himself - almost out of habit - before letting out an earsplitting scream, firing a solid black soundwave high into the air.

From out of the dust, Black*Star flew out as the soundwave hit him full-on. He still managed to land on his feet, clamping his hands over his ears in pain. "Dude, you scream like a demented little girl!" he taunted, wincing at the echoes the seem to bounce everywhere, "Cheap shots and screaming - yeah, you're definitely winning this one!"

"Damn right I am, dumbass," Ragnarok croaked, pushing himself up into a sitting position. He brushed some dust off of his clothing, his wings retracting, "But I'm gonna hand it to ya, for being so smug and whiney, you're putting up a decent fight."

"And that is why," Stein called, emerging from the crowd to stand between the two, "I'm going to put a pause on this one. For now, the winner is undetermined." He looked over his shoulder to the crowd, "Now, all of you, return to class immediately. This fight's ended in a draw."

Black*Star pouted, crossing his arms over his chest, "But Professor...!

Stein turned to the ninja, "You need to get to class too. I think you skip for fights way too much. And as for Ragnarok..." he mused, shifting his sights to the demon, who was currently being helped to his feet (rather reluctantly) by Chrona, "you need to rest. You've exerted yourself enough today. Take it easy."

"Understood, sir," Chrona said, nodding it's head. It tried to wrap one of it's arms around Ragnarok to steady him, "C'mon, Raggy. Stein told me to take care of you. U-um... do you need anything? Like, food or something?"

"I need you to stop touching me," he snapped back, brushing it's arm off as his wings fully retracted back inside of his body. "Take me to the room, let me sleep, and I better wake up to some food. Preferably, some that doesn't taste like crap."

Chrona nodded again, leading him in the long walk back downstairs. "Y-you did really, really well out there, Raggy," it told him, smiling shyly. "I just wish you weren't still so... reckless, I guess."

Ragnarok sighed tiredly, "Yeah, yeah, thanks, I guess." he stuffed his hands in his pants pockets, "Just keep quiet and take me down there."


End file.
